Our Hip-Hop world whirls around, endlessly, with stories building up and falling away on the daily. But that doesn’t affect Roc Marciano in the slightest. He moves at his own pace, relentlessly knocking out gully, dense boom-bap. “Emeralds” is the latest example, off Marcberg: Reloaded. Slowly, surely, the man wades through the track, spitting sharp barbs one-after-another over a dusty gem from Arch Druids. It’s right in the sweet spot for Roc Marciano, just like the last time these two teamed up for “Scorched Earth Policy,” a track thatstill gets spins around my way.

Now, Reloaded has been on it’s way for a long while now. But it’s still coming – possibly as soon as December – and this joint’s nearly enough to tide me over. I’m going to be mumbling “The 40 lay you out like a starfish” all damn day as it is.